What did you do to your FJ-tracer-gt today?

[2and3cylinders]

Daz,

look closely for /at hiway pegs & Givi case guard sliders...

[Wintersdark]

And at last, got the rear shock with it's new shiny red spring installed, and took her out for a test ride.

Amusingly - and perhaps not surprisingly, but I'm new to suspension changes - the first thing I noticed with the new spring was that my mirrors where wildly out of position.  I was never able to get anywhere close to proper sag set, whereas now it's good, and the ~2cm difference in rear height when I'm on the bike is pretty dramatic.  All in all, decidedly better feeling, but not what I'd call transformative.  However, I've not had an opportunity to push it hard yet.  

Glad the whole procedure went well.  A problem I tend to run into when I do things like this - doing a whole lot of things in one go - is that my absentmindedness bites me in the ass and I make a dumb mistake somewhere because I'm not focused enough on one task.  But nothing forgotten or screwed up.  All in all, quite a successful project.

Took off my TPMS system, though.  After getting a functioning one and running with it a bit, I've decided that I don't really like it.  I know when my tires are low because they feel vague and wallowy, so I don't need and indicator that the pressure is off, and as much as I like my electronic farkles it was just eating up precious handlebar space kind of uselessly.  And while it worked fine, the cheapness was pretty apparent - some moisture under the screen fogging it up in the sun, for example.  That'll clear out, but..  eh.  I can see the value to some for sure, and if I didn't already have so much stuff going on there I'd have kept them.  I'm interested in some sensors that I can just pair with my phone vs. having another unit on my handlebars though.

Edited April 2, 2021 by Wintersdark

[Heli ATP]

20 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

 

Took off my TPMS system, though.  ......  I'm interested in some sensors that I can just pair with my phone vs. having another unit on my handlebars though.

That's why I went with my Garmin 595LM that allows one to monitor the Garmin TPMS on it's display.

[Warchild]

I scored some light reading material today:

[1moreroad]

Got it ready for summer - small double bubble screen, FZ09 bar ends, a bath, and about 50 miles of riding.

[petshark]

I finally solved the screen puzzle. Now I can hear the CP3 in all its glory. 
 

Puig Touring + MRA Xcreen Touring.

[Wintersdark]

22 hours ago, Rovari said:

I also removed my TPMS FARKLE a couple days ago. I noticed on my rides that the TPMS sensor would show a drop of a few pounds after riding. Figured it was a little strange, (figured china crap symptoms) also grabbed the tires and they felt good. All good until I went on a longer ride, I got to my destination about 75k (50miles) and my front tire was at 23 lbs from 36 and the back tire was at 33lbs. from 42lbs. I removed the sensors and adjusted the pressure and drove another 100k with no problem. 

Yeah.  I didn't have that problem, but it's certainly possible as I wasn't using locknuts on the sensors and they by nature hold the valves open.  Schrader valves pretty much never leak, but the seals on the TMPS sensors didn't look really great.  Meanwhile, my metal valve caps themselves have a secondary seal on them as a backup.

I also found it wierdly distracting.  I mean, it was useful to check tire pressure, but it wouldn't read new values until the bike was rolling (a sleep system on the sensors to extend battery life, normal with TMPS systems) so I couldn't just check before riding.  So, should they be a bit low, I'd have to run it up and down the street before a big ride to find out, and at that point it's not saving me trouble vs. just slapping my gauge on the tires and checking directly.  I'd gotten in the habit of just not turning it on, but then... what's the point? 

 

[fjray]

That's a dilemma I would not have thought of. 

[draco_1967]

On 4/2/2021 at 3:13 PM, Wintersdark said:

I'm interested in some sensors that I can just pair with my phone vs. having another unit on my handlebars though.

I have the FOBO 2 sensors on my bike. I like them so far. They connect to the my phone, and they are always on, so I can check the pressure before I hit the road. Most of the other TPMS only turn on when they sense motion. The FOBO is a little spendy ($100 USD, + the T-valves), but it was worth it for me. 

[Wintersdark]

9 hours ago, draco_1967 said:

I have the FOBO 2 sensors on my bike. I like them so far. They connect to the my phone, and they are always on, so I can check the pressure before I hit the road. Most of the other TPMS only turn on when they sense motion. The FOBO is a little spendy ($100 USD, + the T-valves), but it was worth it for me. 

Yeah, that's what I'll end up doing long term.  Turning on when they sense motion removes the big advantage of having them IMHO.  I mean, it's a reasonable power saving feature on the face of it for sure, but it means you can only check your pressure while riding.  And ironically that's when it's least useful as tire pressure should be measured/set while cold.  

And if it's accessed on my phone, it's always accessible but not always in my face.  I definitely found with the TPMS on my handlebars, my phone for GPS/radio, the dash itself, all the assorted controls for lights and heat, and the Tracer GT's stock very busy control sets... It definitely hit a point with me where I was just "No, this is too much, it's got to go."

[PhotoAl]

I just installed my FOBO 2 sensors and so far like them but don't have a lot of experience.  I have their app on my phone as well as the app for my Neutrino Element which I use to control my aux light brightness and my heated gear.  I'm using the FOBO 2 sensors and app more for early warning of a tire issue on a long trip - well it is valuable anytime but a slow leak detected earlier can make a big difference.  

[skipperT]

On 4/4/2021 at 7:18 AM, draco_1967 said:

I have the FOBO 2 sensors on my bike. I like them so far. They connect to the my phone, and they are always on, so I can check the pressure before I hit the road. Most of the other TPMS only turn on when they sense motion. The FOBO is a little spendy ($100 USD, + the T-valves), but it was worth it for me. 

I have a pretty nice tire pressure gauge I used before going for a ride today. Don’t remember how much it cost but had it for years. Even says “Dunlop” on it. 😜

-Skip

Edited April 5, 2021 by skipperT

[draco_1967]

Yeah, I have a few gauges too. I guess I am allowing my life to be taken over with all the electronic conveniences 😄

[Wintersdark]

7 hours ago, skipperT said:

I have a pretty nice tire pressure gauge I used before going for a ride today. Don’t remember how much it cost but had it for years. Even says “Dunlop” on it. 😜

-Skip

hah yeah, I've got piles of great gauges that were cheap and do an excellent job.  I'm not gonna lie, I love my electronic toys and I'm deeply lazy.  Damnit how is it that my tire valves are *always* right behind the swingarm/forks whenever I want to check my tire pressure!  At least I've got a small digital gauge that I like, though, that eases the pain of removing my toy.

 

18 hours ago, PhotoAl said:

I just installed my FOBO 2 sensors and so far like them but don't have a lot of experience.  I have their app on my phone as well as the app for my Neutrino Element which I use to control my aux light brightness and my heated gear.  I'm using the FOBO 2 sensors and app more for early warning of a tire issue on a long trip - well it is valuable anytime but a slow leak detected earlier can make a big difference.  

Hoooooold up.

 

Neutrino Element?  ~goes googling~  Oh my god, that looks awesome.  AWESOME.  How have I never seen that before?!

 

Edit: The more I read about that the more awesome it looks.  Able to switch devices off based on battery voltage, so you can run stuff with the bike off but have it automatically shut off to prevent draining the battery too far?  External switch inputs, programmable switching, ability to act as a temperature controller/dimmer too?  I mean, it's kind of spendy, but that's so damn cool.  And I could switch stuff that currently isn't switched, and pull all my extra switches off the bars and really clean up the front end.  

Edited April 5, 2021 by Wintersdark

[PhotoAl]

I think it is a cool device.  I had something similar on my BMW F800GT that was connected to the CanBus and could use that for inputs.  For example I used a CanBus derived brake signal to turn on my aux brake light with 4 flashes then solid.  It was a bit speedy as well but did what I needed.  Unfortunately they do not make one for Yamaha - only BMW and HD last I looked - WOW what a diverse customer group!  It was called a Hex EZCan.  I have a electrical engineering degree and understand relays and switches - even used to design some stuff like that decades ago but love the functionality available in a device like the Neutrino Element.  A lot could be done with a controller like an Arduino or Raspberry Pi or similar but the outputs and fusing and PWM add complexity and the Neutrino has it built in.